Ha Long Canfoco
Harm on record. Has recent confirmed harm to workers that it hasn't put right.
Last researched 23 October 2026 · 7 sources
Vietnamese maker of canned fish, canned meat and pâté based in Hai Phong.
In 2024, labour inspectors fined Ha Long Canfoco for breaking labour and safety rules, including an accident inquiry that blamed the injured worker.
Also worth knowing
There's no public record of Ha Long Canfoco putting this right.
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Why it's graded Harm on record
- Not met: Meets 2 of 6 Good requirements.
- Holds the grade back: It has 4 red flags: no evidence of a living wage, clear breaches of labour conditions, a problem with pay, rights or safety with no fix shown and fish and seafood it can't trace to the boat or farm. Two or more red flags means a poor grade.
- Holds the grade back: It's Harm on record because of a serious confirmed problem from the last 5 years with no public record of it being put right: unsafe conditions, last recorded in 2024.
Good requirements 2 of 6
- Not met: Pays a living wage, or holds a strong fair-pay certificationLiving wage: no evidence
- Not met: Respects worker rightsA confirmed problem counts against it: unsafe conditions, last recorded in 2024
- Not met: Supply chain independently audited or certified, or at least 80% made in countries with strong labour standards
- Met: No child or forced labour findings or links
- Met: Names the factories or farms that make its products, or is fully certified by a scheme that holds and audits that listMakes its products in its own factories
- Not met: Traces its catch to the boat or farm and has crews' or farm workers' conditions checked independently
Red flags 4
- Red flag: No evidence it pays a living wage
- Red flag: Clear breaches of labour conditions
- Red flag: A confirmed problem with pay, rights or safety not shown to be put rightShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 2 red flags that set it.
- Red flag: Relies on fish and seafood it can't trace to the boat or farmShown to explain the grade. It isn't one of the 2 red flags that set it.
- Red flag: Fails its category's raw-material check (means Lacks transparency)
Stars it would earn as Good
None yet. Stars only show on Good companies. About stars
Where it's made
From press and retailer reports. Ha Long Canfoco makes its products in its own factories, but we haven't recorded its countries from it yet. The rest is shown as where fish and seafood are usually processed.
| Country | Worker rights | Legal minimum wage | Forced labour risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vietnam | Systematic violations | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| ThailandUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| ChinaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndonesiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| IndiaUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | High |
| AustraliaUsual for the industry | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
| EcuadorUsual for the industry | No guarantee of rights | Well below a living wage | Moderate |
| NorwayUsual for the industry | Strong protections | About a living wage | Low |
Evidence
What we found
- Risk across the industry, not a finding about this company: fishing fleets and processing plants have some of the worst documented forced labour, including trafficked crews held at sea for years.
- Owns or runs its own production
- Relies on fish and seafood from fishing boats and farms, where crews and farm workers, often migrants recruited into debt, have been held for months or years, beaten and denied pay, out of reach of factory audits. It hasn't shown any steps to trace its fish and seafood to the boat or farm or have the conditions of the people who catch or farm it checked, so it's graded Lacks transparency until it does.
Research notes Ha Long Canfoco makes its canned fish, meat, pâté and frozen foods in its own factories, centred on Hai Phong, and employs nearly 1,000 people. It does not say where its fish is caught or which suppliers provide it, holds no seafood or social certification and publishes no modern slavery statement. Production stopped from January to June 2026 after a food safety scandal over diseased pork, during which the Hai Phong union said about 650 factory workers kept receiving reduced monthly pay and insurance. Its products are exported to Europe, Asia and Africa.
What independent sources say
| Source | Result | Details |
|---|---|---|
| News reporting and NGO investigations | Listed | The labour ministry inspectorate fined the company VND 82 million in 2024 for labour and workplace safety breaches and ordered two accidents re-examined. View |
Confirmed issues 1
Only confirmed problems are listed, and old ones drop off after 10 to 15 years. A problem the company has fully put right no longer counts against it, and nor does one it finds and is fixing itself. How problems are counted
| Last recorded | What happened | Made amends? |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | A labour ministry (MOLISA) inspection fined the company VND 82 million for breaking labour and safety law, including unclear contracts, unlawful disciplinary rules, missed health checks for older workers and an accident inquiry that blamed the injured worker, and ordered two workplace accidents re-examined (Thanh Tra, 2024). Source · archived copy | Not knownFined VND 82 million and ordered to correct every violation; no source says whether it did or whether the two accidents were re-examined. |
Sources and actions
Sources 7
Show all 7 sources
- Vietnam's scandal-hit Halong Canfoco loses food safety certification, reopening date unclear (Tuoi Tre News, 2026) · search the archive · Hai Phong plant halted 12 January 2026; ISO certificate withdrawn and FSSC 22000 suspended; CEO arrested; company runs factories in Hai Phong
- Halong Canfoco faces uphill recovery after food safety scandal (VietNamNet, 2026) · search the archive · Production restarted at the Hai Phong factory on 11 June 2026; products exported to Europe, Asia and Africa (Australia not named)
- Do hop Ha Long tam ngung san xuat, nguoi lao dong van duoc huong luong (Tuoi Tre, Jan 2026) · Jan 2026: production halted 13-28 Jan after general director's arrest; workers kept on idle pay of VND 3.7-5.31m a month
- Halong Canfoco - hơn 60 năm giữ gìn văn hóa ẩm thực Việt (Báo Pháp Luật) · search the archive · Makes canned fish, meat, vegetables, sausages and frozen spring rolls; founded 1957 as Ha Long Canned Fish Factory in Hai Phong; nearly 1,000 employees; exports to many regions
- Sau biến cố thực phẩm, Đồ hộp Hạ Long tái khởi động nhà máy Hải Phòng (Doanh nhân - Báo Pháp Luật, 2026) · search the archive · Board approved restart of the Hai Phong canned food factory from 11 June 2026; makes canned meat and canned fish for home and export markets
- Công ty Cổ phần Đồ hộp Hạ Long chưa chấp hành nghiêm quy định về pháp luật lao động (Thanh Tra, 2024) · archived copy · MOLISA inspection conclusion: contract, work rule, childcare, health check and accident investigation breaches; VND 82 million fine; two accidents to be re-examined
- Công nhân Đồ hộp Hạ Long vẫn chưa được đi làm trở lại sau vụ bê bối thực phẩm bẩn (Người Quan Sát, 2026) · search the archive · About 650 Hai Phong factory workers on leave were paid 3.7-5.3 million VND a month with insurance continued, per the Hai Phong labour federation (February 2026)
Company details
- Headquarters
- Vietnam
- Employees
- About 1,000
- Last researched
- 23 October 2026
- Cite this page
- Labour Lens, "Is Ha Long Canfoco ethical? Labour rating", https://www.labourlens.net/brand/ha-long-canfoco, last researched 23 October 2026, accessed [date].
- Method
- Researched with AI assistance against published rules. How we check · What Harm on record means
Other canned and pouched fish brands
Nothing we've rated in canned and pouched fish is better than Lacks transparency yet.
Something missing or wrong?
Grades are opinions based on the evidence listed here. Send us evidence, or a right of reply if you represent Ha Long Canfoco.